I am very interested in the factors which lead to more moral motivation and action, as well as the development of a moral identity. I conceptualize moral development as a life-long process and investigate factors which help individuals learn from their moral successes and failures. Thus, I study religion and spirituality, assumptions about morality, emotions, and effect of moral exemplars as catalysts of moral motivation and growth. Interested in multiple levels of analysis, I seek to understand connections between individual morality and intergroup attitudes, as well as how communities affect the moral life of the individual. I also study the ‘dark side’ of morality, where moral arguments and credentials can be used to justify immoral and inhumane behavior.

Penn, M. L., Pharaon, A., & Cidam, A. (2007). Biological, Psychological, and Social Factors in the Pathogenesis of Psychopathy. In G. Walker (Ed.) The Science of Morality: Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians, London: Royal College of Physicians Press.